Sam Montgomery

DE LSU

Grade

4.81 SEC

34.5 INCH

114.0 INCH

7.18 SEC

4.51 SEC

Overview

Montgomery lost his brother, John Darrel Adams, before playing his first football game in high school; Adams was shot in 2007 while working as a bouncer at a Columbia, South Carolina bar. Sam still uses the memories of playing “Sonic the Hedgehog” with Adams as a motivating factor on the field, playing with a motor that never stops.

He played well enough in those two seasons of high school ball to be ranked one of the top defensive ends in the country, and made a quick impact on the Tigers by starting his first game as a redshirt freshman in 2010. Unfortunately, he could not finish the year on a high note after being sidelined by a right knee injury in the fifth game against Tennessee. SEC coaches still put Montgomery on their freshman all-conference squad, however, as he was credited with 18 tackles, six for loss and two sacks in those four-plus contests. He stayed healthy in 2011, starting 11 of 14 games, accumulating 13.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks and garnering first-team All-SEC honors. He was a steady force again as a junior, record 37 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks, while garnering first-team all-conference honors once again.

Analysis

Strengths

Tall, long defensive end who plays on the weakside. Has growth potential to be a three-down player. Flashes quickness on the edge and some bend. Gets secondary rushes by pure hustle, comes off block if his man lets up after initial contact and closes quickly to the ball. Very good effort to ball carriers on the sideline whether lined up inside or outside. Holds his ground well in the run game, gaining leverage off the snap and rolling his hips through contact to move the blocker backwards. Fights for inside hand placement. Aggressive coming down the line and taking on kick-out blocks, spilling the ball carrier outside to help. Competitive player who doesn’t back down from challenges, will bull his way into bigger tackles to collapse the pocket.

Weaknesses

Goes off the offensive tackle’s movement instead of ball movement, making him late off the snap too often, whether standing up or playing with his hand down. Doesn’t exhibit much balance or flexibility, struggling to turn the corner consistently and getting pushed around the pocket. Better tackles can stone him on his first move, lacks a consistent counter move to get free. Does not run through tight ends when he has the size advantage. Did not show much progression between his sophomore and junior seasons. Played from a very tight alignment that helped masked his balance and flexibility issues, allowing him to get up and under tackles’ pads quickly.

NFL Comparison

Andre Carter

Bottom Line

This lean All-SEC pick and Ted Hendricks Award finalist used very good quickness and a high motor to rack up nine sacks and chase down ball carriers all over the field in 2011. Like his high-profile teammate, Barkevious Mingo, Montgomery’s progression as a defensive player stagnated during his LSU career. Montgomery has some limitations as a pass rusher, but is a high motor player who holds his ground well against the run and constantly making tackles in pursuit. He figures to go on the second day of the NFL draft, projecting to a second or early third round pick.